Dr Ahmed El Houssieny hasn’t looked back since turning his expertise to aesthetics just six years ago. An honorary lecturer at the University of Chester and an educator on cosmetic procedures to future practitioners, his advanced injectables services are also much in demand at several renowned clinics in the North West.
In August 2018, he launched his own clinic, Dr A Aesthetics, operating in Cheshire, home of the rich and renowned.
“I was inspired by a colleague who had gone into aesthetics when I was working as anaesthetist,” he explains. “After visiting his clinic, I knew it was for me and began training in the field. I’m always hungry for knowledge and spent time training extensively. Becoming a trainer myself has been a dream come true for me.”
Still working as an anaesthetist, Dr El Houssieny’s whirlwind aesthetics schedule involves three days working at the acclaimed Greater Manchester aesthetics chain Skin Viva and a day in clinic at SkinGenius in Stockton Heath working alongside founder Martine Jarman. The rest of his time dedicated to Dr A Aesthetics. “It’s wonderful to work alongside such accomplished aesthetic practitioners,” he says. “The collaboration with Martine has worked really well, she’s a true professional, and leader in the field, who has shared a wealth of industry experience and knowledge.”
Dr El Houssieny’s precision and bespoke approach to treatment has ensured he’s a favourite with local celebrities and other clients who travel from as far as Switzerland for their appointments. “I have a presence on social media but it’s word of mouth that’s been the most important for me,” he admits. “I see a lot of local people but my clients travel from all over. I have people come from Scotland, London – I even have clients fly in from Switzerland. If people really trust you they won’t want anyone else. Sometimes there’s a bit of a waiting list, but now I have my own clinic I can better accommodate people’s schedules.”
CLIENT CARE
The client demographic at Dr A Aesthetics is largely derived from women aged 40 to 60. “I do have some younger clients who usually want what is trending on Instagram and often arrive with a photo on their phone showing what they’d like to achieve,” says Dr El Houssieny. “They favour lip and jawline enhancement. The male clients tend to be very specific in what they want and ask for fast results. However, my main client demographic, females aged 40 and over, are usually more receptive to what I feel they’d benefit from. With them, there’s often an emotional component. Instead of saying ‘that wrinkle bothers me’, they explain ‘I look sad, I look tired, what can you do?’”
In addition to anti-wrinkle injections, Dr A Aesthetics offers clients a full range of services, including dermal fillers, lip enhancement, non-surgical rhinoplasty, microneedling, Profhilo, skin peels and skincare. “My approach is holistic,” says Dr El Houssieny. “When I started out in aesthetics, there was a focus on tackling a problem area but now, for me, it’s more about facial harmonisation. I don’t want people to say to my clients ‘where have you been’? I want them to say ‘you’re looking well’. This means that I have to go deeper than just looking at a particular line or wrinkle to achieve harmony.
“Whatever their concerns, when I assess clients, after a very in-depth consultation in which we discuss objectives, expectations and medical and aesthetic history, I look at the whole face and my treatment plan may involve an integrated approach including peels, skincare, injectables and fillers.However, I am not in favour of dramatic transformations. I like to take things slowly, softening and improving gradually over periods of time.”
Dr El Houssieny believes that his background as a medical doctor and aesthetic trainer ensures that he is completely comfortable in saying no to clients. “The first rule of being a doctor is ‘do no harm’ and I think being a doctor has made me even more risk adverse. About 40% of patients leave my clinic having being advised not to have treatment. I am comfortable telling my patients no – or perhaps telling them that’s enough for now, we should wait a while.”
FOCUS ON SKIN
Skincare is a passion for Dr El Houssieny, who spent a week training with Dr Zein Obagi in California. He now uses the ZO Skin Health peels and skincare line in the ELZ clinic. “I was fortunate enough to spend a week with Dr Obagi in Beverley Hills and it was a life-changing experience for me. I gained so much information and experience in just a week. Many clients don’t take care of their skin properly and just want a quick fix. There is so much you can do underneath the skin with injectables and fillers but to get truly great results, you need to address the skin itself, too.”
Dr El Houssieny is a strong advocate of Allergan’s Juvéderm line, including Volite for skin hydration and the new Volux for sculpting the lower face.
“The quality of the fillers I use is very important and I am really proud to be using the Juvéderm range because it allows me such great, natural-looking results. It has minimal side effects and maximum patient satisfaction – what more could I ask for?”
He also advocates the AQUAGOLD fine touch, a gold-plated microinjection system that can propel a bespoke cocktail of skin enhancing ingredients deep into the skin to improve tone and acne-related problems.“When I launched my own clinic, I not only wanted something closer to home where I could be flexible with patients, another aim was to offer a one-stop-shop where clients could come for all their aesthetics needs. I’m not far from that now, but there’s a little way to go so that’s the plan for the future.
Dr El Houssieny has carved a niche in a highly competitive market and hopes to continue to build his knowledge and profile as an expert in the field, both nationally and internationally. He says: “To be able to teach in this sector, I have to be able to practice at the highest standard and I am continually learning and seeking out new knowledge and treatments to ensure I am at the top of my game.”
Located in the heart of Hale village, Bank MediSpa has quickly become one of Cheshire’s most trusted aesthetic clinics since our opening in 2020.
Uniting artistic skill, expert knowledge, with clinical expertise to craft beautiful aesthetic results, Medical Director Dr A, is supported by a team of professionals who uphold the highest of standards and excellence in the field of aesthetics.
